Polycyclic methylpolysiloxanes



Patentcd Mar. 25 1947 POLYCYCLIC METHYLPOLYSILOXANES Donald W. Scott, Schenectady, N; Y., assignor to (genfiral Electric Company, a corporation ot-New No Drawing. Application September 22, 1945, Serial No. 618,057

5 Claims. (Cl. 260-607) 1 2 Zi'he present invention relates to novel olyone can be treated with sulphuric acid followed cyclic, particularly bicyclic, methylpolysiloxanes by a washing of the treated products with water and to a method of preparing such polysiloxanes. as described in the Patnode application to eflect It is more specifically concerned with, and has a cleavage of the siloxane linkages and a reas its principal object, the production of novel 5 arrangement of the various units to form a polypolycyclic methylpolysiloxanes 01' the general siloxane fl id ont n ng known pr r f formula, methyl silicon oxide or silicon oxide units.

I have discovered that these polycyclic com- (CHDWMSLTOIM pounds and others to be described hereinafter where a: is a whole number equal to at least 1 can be prepared by thermal rearrangement 01' 5 and not more than 8, and n is a whole number the branched chain methylpolysiloxanes obequal to at least one and not more than 3. tained, for example, by cohydrolysis of dimethyl- In order that the nature of the invention may dichlorosilane with methyltrichlorosilane or silibecome apparent, there are listed below reprecon tetrachloride and consisting primarily of disentative bicyclic compounds coming within the methyl silicone units scope of the invention along with the formulas CH: for these compounds. 1 (1) Octamethylbicyclo15.3.1] pentasiloxane g and monomethyl silicon oxide units (cams I 0- 1-0 KCHI):

H: v1 (2) Octamethylspiro aslinenmnoma silicon units (CHI): (CHI): 6 /Si-O /OAl\- 41.0.. s1 o Bi-O o-si l if (5H), wherein the fourth silicon valence in each case i s is attached to an oxygen atom, (3) Decamethylspm [5'71 hexas'lmm When the complex condensation products are cm): (0H,), prepared by the hydrolysis of the mixtures of Si dimethyldichlorosilane and monomethyltrichlorosilane or silicon tetrachloride, or mixtures of W031) equivalent silicon bromides, the hydrolysis re- Si-O OSi0 action is preferably carried out under conditions (EH3): 40 such that the formation of insoluble gels is reduced or eliminated. One such process is described and claimed in the copending applicaposes including use as intermediates in the preption S. N. 455,617, filed August 21, 1942, now aration of other polysiloxanes. For example Patent 2,398,672 in the name of Robert O. Sauer they may be used to introduce predetermined and assigned to the same assignee as the presamounts of monomethyl silicon oxide units or ent invention. Briefly described the Sauer prosilicon oxide units into polysiloxanes such as the cess comprises the addition of a solution of the polysiloxane fluids or oils of the type described silicon halide mixture in toluene or the like to and claimed in the copending application of a hydrolysis medium comprising a. mixture of Winton I. Patnode, S. N. 463,814, filed October water and a higher alcohol such as butanol. 29, 1942, and assigned to the same assignee as These particular precautions relative to the hythe present invention. Thus a suitable mixture drolysis step are, however, not essential to the of dimethyl silicone, hexamethyl disiloxane and preparation of the complex polysiloxanes as they a selected compound of, the present invention may also be prepared from the corresponding such as the octamethylbicyclo [5.3.1l-pentasiloxethoxysilanes containing ethoxy groups-in place Such compounds are useful for diverse purof halogen atoms. Such compounds, being less readily hydrolyzed than the halides, do not in general give excessive gel formation when solutions thereof are added to water or acidulated water at ordinary temperatures.

The invention will be specifically described with reference to the preparation of the complex polysiloxanes obtained by hydrolysis of suitable silicon chlorides.

An equimolar mixture of dimethyldichlorosilane and methyltrichlorosilane was co-hydrolyzed by slowly adding a mixture of 830 g. of dimethyldichlorosilane, (CH3)2SiCl2, 970 g. of methyltrichlorosilane, CHsSlCla, and 600 g. of toluene to a vigorously stirred, two phase mixture of six liters of water, 1200 g. of butanol, and 600 g. of toluene. The organic layer was separated fromthe aqueous phase and the toluene and butanol were removed by distillation under reduced pressure. The 'co-hydrolysis product so obtained was heated in a Claisen flask throu h which was passed a slow stream of nitrogen. Up to a liquid temperature of 350 C. no distillate was obtained,- but above this temperature thermal rearrangement commenced and distillate came over steadily as the temperature was slowly raised to a final value of 600 C, Approximately two-thirds of the original polymer was converted to volatile material, the remainder being left in the bulb of the Claisen flask as a dark brown, brittle solid. l

The distillate was again subjected to fractional distillation followed by fractional crystallization of various distillation fractions to isolate five pure compounds. From the fraction boiling in the range 180 C. to 215 C. at normal pressure, there was obtained a compound having the empirical formula, (CHa)aSisOs, which was identifled as being octamethylbicyclo [5.3.1] pentasiloxane. It had a melting point of 118 C. and a boiling point of 203 C. at normal pressures. Its molecular weight, as determined cryoscopically in cyclohexane, was found to be 361 as compared with the theoretical molecular weight of 356.6.

In addition to a number of monocyclic compounds of the general formula [(CH3)2SlO]n, various other bicyclic or polycyclic compounds were also recovered from the various distillation fractions. be assigned to these compounds because 'of the several isomeric structures which could correspond to each of the empirical formulas. The empirical formulas for these compounds and their melting and boiling points at normal pressure are given in the table.

Table Compound Formula Deg. C.

cmnsiioanu 1)io i1 o HOioShQiI No definite structural formulas could I 4 butanol and toluene by distillation under reduced pressure left the co-hydrolysis product as a translucent, viscous liquid. This material, when heated in a Claisen flask, behaved much the same as the co-hydrolysis product of dimethyldichlorotallization of the appropriate distillation cuts.v

From one distillation fraction boiling in the range 200 C. to 220 C, at normal pressure there was obtained on fractional crystallization a compound having the general formula (CHa)aSl5Os. This compound boiled at 204 C., had a melting point of 121 C. and a molecular weight of 370 when determined cryoscopically in cyclohexane as compared with the theoretical weight of 356.6. The compound was identified as being octamethylspiro [5.5] pentasiloxane the formula for which is given hereinbefore.

From a second distillation fraction boiling in the range 220 C. to 237 C. at normal pressure, there was obtained on fractional crystallization a compound having the formula which boiled at 230 C., melted at 57 C. and was found to have a molecular Weight of 429 as compared with a theoretical molecular weight of 430.7. This compound was found to be closely related to the compound boiling at 204 C. and was identified as being decamethylspiro [5.7] hexasiloxane.

In addition to the above compounds, there was also obtained a compound of the empirical formula (CH3)12Si70s melting at 31 C. and boiling at 254 C. and a compound of the formula (crmasiaog melting at -12 C. and boiling at 157 C./20 mm. The structural formula for these polycyclic compounds could not be deflnitely determined due to possible existence of several isomers for each.

It will be noted that, except for the last three compounds listed in the table, n in the formula (CH3)2(r-n)Sl:rO.-r+n has a value of one so that the empirical formula for the remaining. compounds including those bicyclic compounds whose structural formulas have been determined can be generically represented by the formula wherein a: is a whole number equal to at least 5 and not more than 8.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is: r

1. A polycyclic methylpolysiloxane having the empirical formula (CH3)2(1-1)Siz0m+n where a: is a whole number of from 5 to 8 and n is a whole number equal to at least one and not more than 3.

2. A cyclic methylpolysiloxane having the for: mula (CH3)2x-2Sl:r0r+l where a; is a whole number of from 5 to 8.

3. Octamethylbicyclo [5.3.1] pentasiloxane.

4. Octamethylspiro [5.5] pentasiloxane.

5. Decamethylspiro [5.7] hexasiloxane;

DONALD W. SCOTT. 

